Bending and straightening tool



March 1, 1932. j GR|F|=|N BENDING AND STRAIGHTENING TOOL Filed April 3, 1951.

Em.252E225: 74

. ATTOrM/Er.

Patented Mar. 1, 1932 suns JAMES GRIFFIN, OF BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS PATENT FFICEI I vnmqnrrmr AND STRAIGHTENVI'NG 'roor'. I

p Application filed Apr-i1 8, 1931. Serial No. 527,376.

" ing the manually operated tool. It finds particular application in straighteningrails of light weight, such as are used in mines, that is, a forty pound rail or less. a

My device maybe used to put the desired curvature in a straight rail or pipe or 'may be used to remove such a curvature, either laterally or vertically. 7

My device may be made of few and slmple 7. parts that lend themselves readily to multiple liq I production.

With these and other objects in view, my invention has relation to certain 'novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claim and illustrated in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my device, showing it in position to straighten a rail between two ties vertically. I t

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation through the screw of my device, with one of the hooks omitted. i i

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of device,

showing it in position in the act of curving a rail laterally between ties.

Numerals 5 designate raihload ties and numeral 6 a railroal rail. In Fig. 1 the vertically bent rail is shown in dash line and the straightened rail is shown in 'full line. In

Fig. 4 the straight rail' is shown in full line and the laterally arcuated rail in dash line.

Mytool consists of the U shaped casting 7 enlarged at 8 and having the hole 9 formed therein, as shown in the drawings. The free ends of the U shapedfcasting thecatches 10 formed on'fonegside, the prongs 11' formed on the other side with the note-1112:

. formed between the catches 10 and theprongs 11. Numerali'13 designates a screw mounted 5 loosely in the hole 9.

. Numeral 14 designatesamafsher secured on- Numeral -15'designates aunt in threadedens;

gagement on thescrew. 13 abovethe-washer 1&1. Numeral l6. designates a washersecured on the. screw 13, below the, U' shapedpasting 7 Numeral 17 designates a nut in threaded en; gagement on the screw 13below the washer:

umeral -18;design ates a'gui de con'n'e ctihg; the horizontal portionsofthe U shaped cast; ing-7,-,;havi1 1g a hole-.1'9 centrally positioned, The screw13 passes through the. hole 19. The;

lower end ofthescrewlii hasformed integral therewithithe wedge 20; Numerals 21 and 22 designate. fingers forinedon the lower sur face ofthe' wedge 20 in spaced relationship with each other and with the lateral edges of,

the wedge20, thereby forming the notch-23.

and the countersunk portions 24 and 25.

.Itwill be seen that the structurethus far described that whenthe washer 14 is in contact with the U shaped casting v7 andthe nut 15 is .in contact with the washer 14, that p by: a turning of the nut 15, that. the screw 13" maybe raisedorlowered, depending upon the rotational direction of the nut15. 1 I It will likewise be seen' that when the washer 16 is. in contact: with the U shaped go 7 casting .Tandthe nut 17 is contact with the washer 16, thatarotationof the nut 17 .will

raise and lower the screw 13, .providedthe nut 15 isnot in vent this'a'ction. 35

,In the wedge 20 centrally is formed .the-

' Numeral 27: designates shoulder formed? such a position, as I tolpreon the wedgeQOon one side immediately sur- 7 ro nd g t 0 s N m a p28 .xdesign 9 i nates a shoulder formed on the wedge 20 on the opposite side immediately surrounding the hole 26. Numeral 29 designates a hook having the hole 30 formed therein. The hole 30 is of the same diameter as the shoulder 27.

Numeral 81 designates a second hook having the hole 32 formed therein, which hole is of the same diameter as the hole 30. y In assenibling the hook 29 is positioned on the shoulder 27 and the hook 31 is positioned on the shoulder 28. Numeral 83 designates a bolt having the head 34: and thevnut35.

Numeral36 designates a washerpositioned immediately beneath the head 34, and 37 'designates a Washer positionedimmediately he;

neath the nut 35.

gagement on said screw below said second In further assembly, therefore, thebolt 3 3 passes through the washer 86, through 'the' 'hole 30, the washer 37 and into thenut 35,-; r

By these means the hooks 29 and 31 are rotatively secured to the screw 13, so that the hooks take the position shown in Figs.'1-

and2. v V

' The useof the tool is as follows:

Assuming that the rail 6 has been bent between the ties 5, as shown" in Fig.1, andit is desired to straighten the rail, as shownin that figure, the device is secured on the rail 6-,

as shown in Fig. 1, with the hooks in the po-' 1 sition shownin Figs. 1 and 2. The nut 15 isthen screwed down against the U shaped cast ing 7 thereby raising the screw '13, and therethe rail 6 tothe desired posi by pulling up tion.

in a rail laterally, the tool is placed in theposition shown in Fig. I, that iswith the hooks 29 and 31 in an upward inoperative position,

with the catches 10'arou'nd the lower flange of the rail, and with the'counterst'ink portion2 of the wedge 20, in contact with the'oppos'ite edge of said flange ofthe rail and 'theinut 17 is screwed against the washer-'16, which is now against the lower surface of the U' shaped casting 7, thereby exerting a pressure on the railat the point of contact between the wedge 20 and between the ends of theUshapedcasting 7, thereby forcing the rail laterally'outwardly and bending it. arcuately. If it is de l sired to straighten'a curved rail, the tool is positioned on the outside of the rail and the to produce a curvature arcuated portion pushed towardthe-tool to;

the straight position.

lVhat I claim is: In a, tool of the character described, aU

shaped casting, the'free ends of which have catches formed on one side and prongs formed on the other side, with a notch' formed between the catches and prongs,a screw inmgagement in a hole in said U shaped casting, awasher secured on said screw abovesaid U shaped casting, a nut in threaded engagement on said screw above said washer, a second washer secured on said screw below said U' shaped casting, a second nut inthreaded'en 

